Review by Annie Keller.
As much as I hate to admit it, I sometimes catch myself longing to live in Chicago during the '90s indie rock boom—all analog technology and word-of-mouth shows at the Metro featuring the era’s flagship names. But then I remember we have Friko here, in 2024, amidst a competent collective of young indie rockers that are not only keeping this distinct brand and genre alive and well, but nurturing it to its fullest potential and taking it beyond where I thought possible. Friko’s Lollapalooza aftershow at Lincoln Hall was one such altar to this indie rock revival that I will always come back to.
Before Friko’s set, we were treated to another Chicago-based band, Ganser. I knew little of Ganser before this show, and I was blown away at the sheer enormity of their stage presence. They boast two lead vocalists: one a punky frontperson who occasionally heads up the keyboards and guitar (Sophie Sputnik) and the other their incredible bassist (Alicia Gaines). These two work marvelously together to accomplish both ends of the Ganser sound-spectrum: pure and noisy post-punk you can dance to and more melodic, mellow progressive tunes. Their guitarist was all motion-blur on stage complete with some of the most complicated riffs and thrashing I’ve heard in a long time. Ganser reminded me of a bouncier Dry Cleaning that smiles right back at you. Amongst Ganser’s many exciting qualities, they are sure to invoke a bubbling rallying cry that infects the spirit in-person.
As the lights dimmed, Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” ramped up and Friko took the stage. They began the night with a cover of Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime”, complete with the Friko urgency and totality that nearly eclipsed the original. Frontperson Niko Kapetan delivers vocals that remind me a lot of Conor Oberst - a bright voice that shakes with prophetic proclamation for each and every song. Bailey Minzenberger on drums manages a soft yet confident edge with the appropriate amount of restraint that helps layer the intensity that is the hallmark in each Friko song, especially throughout their debut record, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here.
Friko's third song of the night, “Chemical,” is, in my opinion, one of the best emo songs released in the past 5 years. It’s a current favorite of mine and clearly a fan favorite by the way the crowd exploded when the opening riff began. It’s a fast, serious-sounding intense emo song full of throat-clawing desperation in the vocals and the instrumentation. “Chemical” is the song I turned to my friends before the show and said, “I need to hear this live or else I will perish.” Thankfully for me, they played it, and it’s a song I want to live in the Lincoln Hall pit and hear live forever.
Friko made sure to give much love over to their EP, Whenever Forever too, and even brought forth their cellist and violinist for “Half As Far”. While there were a few points in the set that the backing strings came out and filled the room quite well, their debut onstage for “Half As Far” was underwhelming since their sound completely buried in a wall of noise. Despite the minor mixing issue that was certainly resolved for the next few string section songs, Friko’s EP songs sounded fuller and more mature live which was a treat to hear. We even were lucky enough to have Luke Stamos, the third founding member of Friko who departed the band before the release of their debut album, join the stage for my other favorite EP song, “Holding On People.”
Our night with Friko ended with an iconic four-song stretch that had me over the moon. From their incredible full-stage cover of “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi” by Radiohead (where the sound-mixing was completely redeemed for the fabulous string section), the softer “Cardinal” with just members Niko and Bailey, “Where We’ve Been” closing out the set, and their encore song “Get Numb To It!,” Friko is well-deserving of their burgeoning cult following as they break out of the Midwest and move on to larger and larger stages (which now includes the Bacardí stage at Lollapalooza in their roster!). I am so excited for the future of this duo and will be sure to catch any show they play in Chicago moving forward.
If you want to treat yourself to a fun rabbit hole, do yourself a favor and look up the Hallogallo Chicago indie collective, wherein Friko is just the tip of the iceberg. You can quickly immerse yourself in some amazing young local talent, such as Horsegirl, Lifeguard, Post Office Winter, and much more. Trust me when I say that the kids are alright.
Check out Friko’s debut album, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here immediately, you won't regret it.
All photos by Lorenzo Zenitsky